https://braveheartedstore.com/products/the-set-apart-woman

As I get older and my boys grow up, I find myself trying to figure out my place in this new world. I am a mom of adults now, and that is a whole new position to be in. Quite honestly, it’s a little scary. I have lived my life thus far with the titles of “wife,” “homemaker,” and “homeschool mom” for so long I feel like I have no definition of what I am supposed to be when the day-to-day activities of being a mom cease. I’m glad I got to read The Set Apart Woman, from Leslie Ludy. I feel like it has helped set me on the path to redefine myself for this new stage in life.

This ten-chapter book focuses on how we, as women, can set ourselves apart for God’s purpose in our lives. It includes topics like how to exchange self-promotion for humility and how to exchange anxiety for confidence, all things I need to hear right now. Each chapter offers Biblically based advice for how to grow closer to God and learn how to follow his plan for our lives. At the end of each chapter there are discussion questions and suggestions for further Bible reading as well.

I read through this book slowly, on purpose. I wanted to give myself a chance to really let it sink in. Also, I am pretty busy, so I don’t have a ton of reading time available. Fortunately, the chapters are short, so I could squeeze them in after my morning devotion or right after I got everything done for the day and went to bed. It was really easy to pick up where I left off if I missed a couple of days. I prefer to read with a notebook and pen nearby so I can make notes about the things that really speak to me, but a highlighter in the book would work just as well.

There are parts of this book that really challenged me and spoke to my heart. Leslie Ludy does a great job of linking to scripture and helping you to really think about those areas of your life you may be holding back from God. I feel like I am starting to understand that God purposely moves us through different phases in life in order to make us grow to be more like him. Change is rarely easy and letting go of things that once meant so much to you are hard, but sometimes they are necessary. That’s where I’m at now, letting go of who I have been for all this time, and waiting to see how God wants to grow me next. It is a little bit scary, but also exciting when you think about it. The Set Apart Woman really helps to lay a solid foundation for anyone to continue to grow in God no matter where they are in life and I would highly recommend you read it if you feel a little lost or just want to improve your connection to the Lord.

-Product review by Brandy Brockhausen, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2018